The Ketubah

The Ketubah (or the Marriage Contract) would be agreed upon by the families once the bride price was paid. They would then seal the agreement with a drink of wine. Jesus broke bread, blessed the cup and drank it at the last supper. Just as we see this marriage imagery providing a deep and rich metaphor for the believer’s relationship with God, the Jewish Passover tradition contains a wealth of symbolism that Christ used to teach His disciples in their final moments together (for more on Passover tradition, visit www.chosenpeople.org, or listen to the sermon "The Messiah and the Passover," given by Mitch Glaser).

And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:27-29).

The bread (or afikomen) taken during the meal was actually in three separate pieces. One piece represented the people, one piece God, and the piece taken between them represented the priest. The tradition calls for the breaking of this middle piece. When Jesus breaks the bread, He asserts His role as our intermediary priest, between us and God, His body broken on our behalf. In a similar fashion, the wine was actually five different representative cups taken throughout the Passover. The third cup of wine, known as the cup of redemption, would be presented after the meal. It served as a reminder of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. This cup Jesus takes and calls His blood. He declares that the blood of His body, the blood of the Passover lamb, will alone atone for sins and save from death.